Quote Originally Posted by andnowimbroke View Post
I don't know crap about food photography, but it does seem that the items are placed there and not because they were supposed to be there. Maybe a knife laid on it's side and slices of whatever splayed out. Like a chef had just plowed through some prep and took a break. Then I'd add some shadow to give it depth. Like I said though, I don't know food photography.. Or most anything else photography related for that matter
Thank you for the feedback and I think your suggestion of a "messy" look could have worked. Will keep that in mind for next attempts.

Quote Originally Posted by jrw View Post
If working outdoors in the sun it might be worth trying early or late in the day to take advantage of the lower angle of the sun to make the surface textures pop a bit more. You have almost eliminated shadows which is a look that some people want but when you are asking if it is flat looking it might be time to try some low angle side lighting for a more dramatic surface.
I originally wanted to work late in the afternoon but I'd be losing light relatively fast so I just decided the time where the sunlight is relatively constant. I'll try again sometime with your suggestion of shooting early in the morning so I won't be losing light instead I'd be getting more light as the day progresses. Thank you for your thoughts.